Poet and writer Madoda Ndlakuse to livestream for National Book Week
The event will be live on National Book Week’s Facebook page at 11am on Saturday.
As the lockdown enters its third week, poet and writer Madoda Ndlakuse takes over the baton from raconteur Bongiswa Kotta-Ramushwana for this week’s Books Beyond Words online story telling event on Facebook.
South Africa’s annual reading awareness week, National Book Week (NBW), dedicated to encouraging leisure reading and promoting the importance of books, initiated the weekly event as the lockdown started to entertain children with stories on Saturdays.
A multifaceted personality, Madoda is a storyteller, poet, writer and a reading activist.
He spends a lot of time in the communities promoting reading for enjoyment, as well as with members, especially children encouraging them to learn from their own stories.
He has also written a children’s book called Umtshato WeNtlanzi Nenkukhu and is a founder of the Eastern Cape Book Festival.
As the lockdown kicked in at the end of March, parents, forced to work from home had to quickly find a balance between working, entertaining and endless rounds of the kitchen.
“Streaming platforms provide some respite, but there’s only so many cartoons you can watch in a day.
“Thankfully for us, a number of children’s book authors and story tellers warmed up to our idea and decided to use their skills to help bring some entertainment to families in isolation,” said Elitha van der Sandt, CEO, South African Book Development Council.
On Saturday, Madoda will read two stories, both authored by him.
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The English story is titled A visit to Qhagqiwa Library and the second uHagwana is an isiXhosa story.
uHagwana is a story about a piglet who overcomes challenges in his life with a positive attitude.
The event will be live on National Book Week’s Facebook page at 11am on Saturday, April 11.
All broadcasts are recorded and if you have missed the previous week’s story, you can find it on the Facebook page.
“Every dark cloud has a silver lining.
“The lockdown is a unique opportunity to show children that stories can really be fun,” added van der Sandt.
National Book Week also plans to include stories for children who are deaf and hard of hearing and is inviting storytellers who can communicate in sign language to participate.
The SABDC pays the storytellers, bringing some relief to the loss of income in the cultural sector during lockdown.
Interested storytellers can contact them via their Facebook page or on email at bookweek@sabookcouncil.co.za
“The impact of an extended period of self-isolation on parents and children cannot be overstated.
“In that light, it is heart-warming to see our authors and storytellers rally to bring a little joy to people’s daily routine and encourage reading,” said van der Sandt.
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